Eiji is Online

Chapter 6

Three days had passed since Eiji had last heard from Zane. Three days of staring at a blank chat window, rereading old messages and checking his phone more times than he’d like to admit. The silence hadn’t bothered him too much. Zane had said he’d had a rough day, after all. Maybe he just needed some space.

But as the hours turned into days without even a simple “Hey” or a meme sent in the middle of the night, Eiji couldn’t ignore the feeling of unease in his chest.

He tried reaching out at first, keeping his messages casual.

ShadowStriker: Hey, hope you’re doing okay.

No response.

A day later, he tried again.

ShadowStriker: Just checking in. Let me know if you’re up for a game.

Nothing.

By the third day, Eiji’s messages sat unanswered in their chat history, little timestamps mocking him with their silence. He tried telling himself it wasn’t a big deal like people had lives, right? Zane probably just got busy. But the worry wouldn’t leave him alone, creeping into his thoughts during class, while he poured coffee at his part-time job, and especially when he sat down at his desk each evening.

Eiji was playing their usual game alone. He tried joining random parties but it wasn’t the same. The jokes didn’t hit the same way and the conversations felt shallow. He missed Zane’s dry humor, the way he could turn a simple quest into an adventure with just the right amount of sarcasm.

Frustrated, Eiji left the game and leaned back in his chair. He clicked open Discord, scrolling up through his chat with Zane, reading through the last conversation they’d had. The memory of Zane’s strange, tense tone that night echoed in his mind, making his chest feel tight again.

“Was it something I said? Did I push too much?” He couldn’t help but wonder, replaying that last call in his mind. But no matter how he twisted the memory around, he couldn’t figure out what might’ve caused Zane to go silent. It was just empty.

Eiji sighed and switched over to his chat with Jamie, fingers hovering over the keyboard before he started typing.

Eiji: You free?

Jamie’s reply came through almost instantly, like he’d been waiting.

Jamie: Always. What’s up?

Eiji: It’s Zane I haven’t heard from him in three days. Starting to…worry.

A few seconds passed before Jamie replied and Eiji could almost picture him raising an eyebrow.

Jamie: Okay, that sucks, but three days? People get busy, duh.

Eiji huffed, his fingers tapping restlessly on his desk.

Eiji: Yeah but I don’t know. It’s different. He usually at least sends a message even if he’s busy. But now nothing.

Jamie’s reply took a bit longer this time, like he was choosing his words carefully.

Jamie: Look, I get that you’re worried. But maybe he’s just got stuff going on, right? Like, maybe work’s picked up or he’s dealing with personal stuff. Have you tried focusing on your own stuff for a bit?

Eiji sighed, glancing over at the stack of textbooks on his desk. He knew Jamie was right, but it didn’t make the worry go away.

Eiji: Yeah, I guess. I’ve got a paper due in a few days. I should probably focus on that instead of stressing over some guy online.

Jamie: Exactly, sis. And hey, if he’s really your friend, he’ll get back to you when he can. But you sitting there worrying isn’t gonna make it happen any faster.

Eiji stared at the chat, then finally typed out.

Eiji: Yeah alright.

But even as he closed the Discord window, the knot of worry in his chest remained.

The days blurred together in a haze of study sessions at the library, late nights glued to his laptop, and coffee cups that left him jittery but somehow even more drained. Eiji threw himself into the mountain of assignments he’d been avoiding, telling himself it was about time he got his act together. But every time he picked up his phone during a break, his thumb would hover over his chat with Zane, the same unanswered questions swirling in his head.

What if something happened to him? What if he’s hurt? What if… he just doesn’t want to talk anymore?

The thought twisted his stomach into knots, and he shoved it aside, forcing his eyes back to the notes sprawled across his desk. But no matter how hard he tried, the worry clung to him, creeping in at the edges of his mind and making it impossible to focus.

By the fifth day, he was back at his desk, his books and notes scattered around him, but the words might as well have been in another language. He stared at his phone for what had to be the hundredth time, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as he fought the urge to send another message. “Would that make me seem desperate?”

Before he could decide, his phone buzzed, and a new message popped up on the screen.

NightFury32: Hey. Sorry I’ve been MIA. Just got back today.

Eiji blinked, staring at the words as if they might disappear. He felt a sudden rush of relief so strong it nearly made his head spin. He quickly typed back, trying to keep the frantic edge out of his message.

ShadowStriker: Oh damn, I was worried. Where’d you go?

Eiji somehow second-guessed his reply. Did I just reveal that I was worried?

Zane’s reply came a moment later, the typing indicator flickering on and off as he typed.

NightFury32: Had to take a last-minute trip for work. Modeling gig, out in a province. Barely had any signal so I couldn’t even text.

Modeling gig. Eiji’s mind snagged on those words, even though he knew that Zane was a model. For a moment, Eiji imagined Zane standing under bright lights, surrounded by cameras, his easy smile directed at something.

ShadowStriker: Oh okay, that makes sense. I was just worried when you didn’t reply. I thought…I don’t know what I thought.

NightFury32: Yeah, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to freak you out.

Eiji stared at the screen, a mix of relief and lingering unease swirling in his chest. Part of him wanted to ask more. About the trip, about why Zane had seemed so off before he left. But the other part of him hesitated, unsure if he had the right to ask.

Before he could figure out what to say next, another message popped up.

NightFury32: So, you up for a game tonight?

Eiji bit his lip, glancing at the open textbooks spread out across his desk. He knew he should probably keep studying—he still had that paper to finish. But the relief of hearing from Zane, of knowing he was okay, made the thought of logging in with him too tempting to ignore.

ShadowStriker: Yeah, I’m in. Just give me a sec to wrap things up here.

NightFury32: Sure thing. I’ll be waiting.

Eiji logged into the game, his hands a little unsteady on the keyboard as he waited for Zane to join the voice call. A part of him was still trying to process the rush of relief he’d felt when Zane’s message had finally come through.

He hadn’t been lying when he’d told Jamie that he didn’t know what he felt. But whatever this was, it made his chest feel tight like his emotions were tangled up in a way that he couldn’t understand.

The familiar sound of Zane joining the voice chat pulled Eiji out of his thoughts. He quickly cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice steady. “Hey, you ready?”

“Yeah, let’s do this,” Zane replied, but there was a warmth in his tone that hadn’t been there the last time they’d spoken. It made Eiji feel a little more at ease like the Zane he knew was back. “You don’t know how much I needed this.”

They loaded into the game. As they navigated through the virtual world, Zane started telling Eiji about the trip, his voice carrying a mix of frustration and exhaustion.

“Ugh, it was such a mess,” Zane said with a groan, his character swinging a sword at a monster. “The gig was fine but the place was in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, they had us in this tiny province with barely any cell signal. I think the only time I had internet was when we stopped at this diner on the drive back.”

Eiji couldn’t help but smile a little at Zane’s dramatic tone. “Sounds rough. But at least you’re back now, right? No more random trips to the middle of nowhere.”

“Yeah, thank god for that,” Zane muttered, his character stopping for a moment as he took a breath. “I think the worst part was not being able to text. Like, I’m used to just checking in, you know? Made me realize how much I’m on my phone when I couldn’t use it.”

Eiji chuckled softly. “Well, I’m definitely guilty of that, too. But I guess it’s different when you don’t have a choice.”

“Yeah, exactly. It just sucked, being cut off like that,” Zane continued, his voice turning a little more serious. “Not being able to reach out to people. Especially to you…I missed you, Eiji.”

Eiji’s character froze on the screen but his mind went completely blank. The world around him seemed to slow down. He blinked, trying to process what Zane had just said, feeling a rush of heat flood through his chest and settle uncomfortably in his gut.

He missed me. The words echoed in his mind, repeating over and over again until they blurred together. Eiji’s hand tightened around his mouse, his heart thudding painfully against his ribs.

Zane’s voice, casual and completely unaware of the chaos he’d just unleashed, continued over the headset. “Anyway, glad to be back. Sorry again for dropping off the radar like that.”

Eiji barely managed to respond, his voice sounding higher than he meant it to. “Yeah, um, no problem. It’s cool. I’m glad you’re back, too.”

A silence fell between them. Eiji suddenly couldn’t find the words to say. He could hear his own breathing in his ears, could feel the way his heart seemed to stutter with every beat. He glanced at the clock in the corner of his screen, suddenly desperate for an excuse to end the call before he say something stupid.

“Hey, uh, it’s getting late,” Eiji stammered, trying to keep his voice steady. “I think I should, you know, head to bed. Got an early class tomorrow.”

Zane’s response came after a slight pause, his tone tinged with something Eiji couldn’t quite place. “Yeah, sure. We can play again tomorrow, maybe?”

Eiji nodded, even though Zane couldn’t see him, and quickly forced out a goodbye. “Yeah, sounds good. Alright, see you, Zane.”

“See you, Eiji.”

He clicked out of the call faster than he meant to, the sudden silence in his room feeling almost deafening. For a moment, he just sat there, staring at his blank computer screen. All the pent-up confusion and frustration crashed over him in a wave. He let out a groan, burying his face in his hands.

“Why did he have to say that?” Eiji mumbled to himself, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment even though there was no one there to see it. He pushed away from his desk, dragging himself over to his bed, and collapsed face-first into his pillow. He let out a muffled scream, his voice smothered by the fabric.

He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t make sense of what he was feeling. He just squeezed his eyes shut, hoping for what he was feeling to make sense.